This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MEXICO CITY -- Aaron Judge’s anger and disappointment were barely concealed as he addressed the Yankees’ roster near the end of the 2023 season. Their October calendar was wide open, and for a team that historically celebrates its postseason success so richly, the captain said the outcome was “unacceptable.”

So Judge wasted little time getting to work, taking out his frustrations with the first of thousands of batting practice swings at the Yankees’ training complex in Tampa, Fla. By January, Judge was pleased to see that many of his teammates had heeded his battle cry and joined him within the walls of the facility off Himes Avenue, on a mission to ensure that 2024 ends in much more favorable fashion.

“A lot of guys were embarrassed,” Judge said. “I think it was a wake-up call for a lot of us. Nothing was said; nothing needed to be said. I think just, collectively, as a group we all kind of looked at each other and said, ‘This can’t happen again.’”

As manager Aaron Boone prepares to lead the club for his seventh season in charge, he sees “a very focused group” ready to play its first of 162 regular-season games against the Astros on Thursday afternoon in Houston.

“Across the board, our guys came in ready to go when Spring Training started,” Boone said. “We feel like we have a lot to prove this year, coming off a season where we didn’t make the playoffs. We want to change that. We expect to be in the playoffs and competing for a championship every day. That’s the mindset of the players.

“We will be missing our ace, Gerrit Cole, at least for the first couple of months. But the number of people that stepped up, we feel like it’s given us good options to fill that void while he’s out. I’m excited about those players that have emerged. It’s a very focused group and ready to go compete for a championship starting on Thursday.”

What needs to go right?
The Yankees recognized that their lineup had significant issues coming off a season in which they ranked 25th in runs scored. First, relying solely upon Judge to replicate his 62-homer performance in 2022 was probably not a good long-term plan, and second, the left-right balance that Boone values was noticeably absent. Enter Juan Soto. The Yanks paid a significant price to import the sport’s best left-handed hitter, and his arrival adds a necessary dimension to the offense. The one-two punch of Soto and Judge should team for video game numbers. Bounce-back seasons from Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu will also be important, especially while the Yanks wait for Cole to return.

Great unknown
We see the potential on paper, especially since Boone notes that Soto perfectly represents the “grind-it-out” attitude the Bombers seek from their lineup. But every injury sets off new flashing red lights on a veteran roster -- Cole could miss the first two months with a sore right elbow, LeMahieu will begin the year on the injured list with a bruised right foot and Judge had to miss nine days of camp with abdominal discomfort. Missing Judge and Rizzo for large portions of the season sunk their chances in 2023. They need their big names in action to get where they want to be.

Team MVP will be ... Juan Soto
As guest instructor Bernie Williams recently noted, “If spring ended a week before, he still would’ve been in midseason form.” Soto’s diligent daily work has been impressive to watch, and the 25-year-old seems primed to drive the ball through the wall on every swing. Soto believes that playing in New York will be “electric” and that he will feed off the crowds, citing the large population of Dominicans who figure to make Yankee Stadium a party zone about 81 times this season. With free agency looming, he’s got about 500 million reasons to have a great year.

Team Cy Young will be ... Gerrit Cole
Who else? The anxiety and tension that Cole experienced throughout his cross-country flight lifted as supplanted by relief as he walked out of the Los Angeles offices of Dr. Neal ElAttrache on March 14 after learning that Tommy John surgery had been ruled out. ElAttrache concurred with the Yankees’ diagnosis, which was that Cole’s ulnar collateral ligament remains intact and that he may be able to rejoin the big league rotation in late May or early June. That’s a win for the Yankees. Cole still needs to go through another Spring Training, but the hope is that he can return to Cy Young form once he's ready.

Bold prediction
The Yankees will win the American League East. The PECOTA prediction formulas have the Yankees pegged for 92.7 wins, putting them ahead of Toronto (87.9), Tampa Bay (87.1), Baltimore (86.5) and Boston (78.1). The computer probably isn’t respecting the Orioles enough after their 101-win performance in 2023, but the Yankees absolutely have the star power and talent to push their win total into the mid-90s. Late last season, general manager Brian Cashman told a group of reporters that none of them would have predicted the Bombers’ 82-80 finish; he was right. On paper, this Yankees team should get to the postseason. Anything less, as Judge would tell you, is unacceptable.